Something new

04. Pride and Ladybug

Turns out Ohm's idea was to take Fluke to a bookstore he knew was still open. He hadn't bought the books suggested by the teacher yet and decided that it would be a good idea to have the man's personal help in such a task. Whether they were going to spend more time together because of that was something that only Ohm knew was included in his plans!

The quiet environment didn't seem to intimidate its customers at that hour. The place was filled by a lot of people who seemed absorbed in reading books at the tables available there or looking for a new title on the shelves.

After finding the last book on the list that Fluke had given him, Ohm realized that he had lost the man in question.

"I'll be right back!", he said to the cashier after paying for the purchase and then returned to the interior of the bookstore. Walking between the shelves full of books and the aisles with readers, Ohm found Fluke engrossed in a book whose cover was familiar to him. When approaching the man, he confirmed that it was "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

Fluke looked distracted, but Ohm's proximity made his sixth sense activate and he looked away from the reading. He wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but Ohm was very close to him, just a step away. It was so close that the teacher could smell the woody scent of the perfume the businessman wore.

Still under the effect of the heated exchange between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, Fluke felt as if he was seeing the hero of the novel right before his eyes, both were tall, dark, and Ohm had a voice that could make his heart racing fast. One of his last brain cells that weren't malfunctioning came up with the scene of Mrs. Bennett fainting, which was most likely to happen to him right now.

Fluke's eyes roamed slowly over Ohm's features, as if he was actually seeing him for the first time. During English classes they used to sit side by side, but too busy with the lessons, they didn't have the time to look closely at each other's faces. Only now he noticed that Ohm's Cupid's bow was so well defined that it looked like it had been drawn by hand and that he had thick eyebrows that framed perfectly his piercing dark eyes. When he noticed, those pair of eyes also seemed to be focused on him with the same attention.

"Ohm...", he whispered and the sound was almost lost in the space between them.

"You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you," Ohm said suddenly, looking deeply into Fluke's eyes as if he could read his soul.

Hearing the unexpected confession with an accent that both indicated Ohm's inexperience with the language and made his nervousness evident didn't lessen its effect. Fluke felt his heart pounding against his ribcage, as if it was about to burst out of his chest. He was probably blushing more with each passing second, until Ohm scratched the back of his neck and pointed to the book he was holding.

"Pride and Prejudice! I've watched the movie and I really like it! I wonder if reading the novel could help me with my English?", he asked a little nervously, a shy smile on his face.

Fluke felt his breath catch in his throat as he realized he'd been reading the moment incorrectly. His only reaction was to clear his throat and roll his eyes.

"I think for you a lighter reading would be ideal, big boy!", he said turning quickly to the bookshelf looking for a specific title, but also to hide his embarrassment. When he found the book he wanted, handed it to Ohm and headed towards the cashier, not paying much attention to the other.

"The ladybug?!", Ohm read aloud the title of the children's book that had a drawing of the insect on the cover.

As they waited their turn in line, Fluke took the book from Ohm's hand and set it on the counter. He took a pen out of his shoulder bag and wrote something inside the cover.